The Hindu Business Line : All roads in Bangalore lead to IT.Com

Youngsters taking a short cut to buy entrance tickets to the Bangalore IT.COM 2004 at Palace Grounds in Bangalore on Tuesday. There are more jobseekers than business visitors at the event. - G.R.N. Somashekar

Bangalore , Nov. 2

IF you thought Bangalore IT.Com is about serious business visitors and foreign collaborations, read on. Mr Abdur Rasheed is a retired government official who has religiously visited the annual IT jamboree for the last four years. His purpose: To learn more about computing and the latest software.

"I purchased a PC a few years back and I did not know how to operate it. Today, I'm proficient in typing in four languages and working on my PC. Visiting this event is sure to help me learn more applications that I could use on the PC," Mr Rasheed smiles proudly.

For Suma, a MCSE (Microsoft certified systems engineer) student, this event is more than about learning. Braving the sweltering heat, she patiently waits to get inside the venue hoping to find a good job. "I heard there are lots of companies participating here, especially software firms. I hope I can get a software job."

While the business process outsourcing (BPO) pavilion did not attract many takers, students piled on to interact with international delegates from the UK and Australia. Counsellors were overheard giving tips to students interested in studying at universities located in these countries.

For visitors like Mr Ram who had travelled from Mysore and Mr Keshavprasad Hosur, Deputy Manager-Production Engineering, Tata Johnson Controls Automotive Ltd, Pune, the IT symposium gave them a chance to learn about networking technologies. "I would like to see if any of these technologies can be used in the manufacturing area I work in . It is the first time I am attending this event, so let us see," remarked Mr Hosur.

While public participation enthused Mr Brian Barge, President & CEO, Canadian Microelectronics Corp, officials from Russia were disappointed and lamented the lack of serious business visitors. "We are here to create awareness about our products and we are yet to find any manufacturers who have visited this event," says Mr Andrei P. Kukhtenkov, Head of Marketing Department, Atlas, the Scientific & Technical Center, a federal state-owned unitary enterprise.